The Chilean Municipalities Using Swiss Technology To Achieve Water Conservation Objectives

Through an agreement between the companies Núcleo Paisajismo and the Chilean–Swiss IST Group, the first water resource optimization project has been implemented at Bicentennial Park in Vitacura.

Faced with the country’s serious water crisis, different alternatives are being looked at as solutions to achieve key water conservation objectives. Among these, the Swiss technology AQUA4D® stands out, together with its IoT monitoring system, which has currently been implemented in different municipalities with the purpose of making efficient use of resources. The initiative seeks to save, on average, 20% of water consumption in irrigation, through the integration of Swiss AQUA4D® technology. A case to highlight is the Bicentennial Park in Vitacura, with a total area of 27 hectares that has around 4,000 trees. Of these, around 1,300 are native species. However, this extension of green areas has an important challenge for these times: namely, how to reduce the use of water for irrigation and landscape maintenance.

Sustainable progress is already under way at the Bicentennial Park, thanks to the AQUA4D® system improving the efficiency of irrigation. Internationally recognized for water efficiency and sustainable impacts, this method was recognized with the “Energy Global Awards 2021”. In Chile, other projects have already been carried out with AQUA4D® for water optimization, as is the case of the municipality of Lo Barnechea, where they have already achieved 25% savings. These results have served as an example to other municipalities, who are increasingly interested in the use of innovation and technology to face the challenges of climate change.

The General Manager of Núcleo Paisajismo, Ricardo Letelier, stated that “we are committed to delivering new innovative solutions to our clients, and we want to support them in their sustainability strategies. This is why our alliance with IST Group is a real commitment, to be able to offer comprehensive advice on sustainability, innovation and technology”. IST Group, together with AQUA4D®, is also supporting sports clubs nationwide, together with Bettersport, to generate strategies for sustainability and efficient water use.

Currently, they are working with several golf clubs, where field agronomists conduct an initial diagnosis before implement a customized water optimization strategy involving the Swiss technology AQUA4D® – what the company terms “Hardware-as-a-Service” for precision irrigation. According to Marco Castro, General Manager of La Dehesa Golf Club, “For us it is essential to have a partner like IST Group, because they not only help us to use water efficiently, but also provide us with a comprehensive service to advance in our sustainability commitments for our community”. IST Group are already in contact with several more golf clubs, soccer clubs, cemeteries and schools that seek to promote strategic actions in water and sustainability matters.

To learn more about these water efficiency projects in Chile, write to felipe.villarino@istgroup.cl

This article originally appeared in Chile’s El Mercurio / emol.com , which you can find here.

IST Group / AQUA4D Chile unveiling an “Eficiencia Hídrica” project

Video: More on AQUA4D landscape and golf irrigation in Chile (in Spanish, with subtitles)